Six weeks old baby survives ebola in Congo

A six weeks old baby miraculously survived ebola, health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have confirmed.

The six weeks old baby who was infected with Ebola and died during childbirth, showed symptoms only days later and it took five weeks of round-the-clock treatment to keep her alive. Baby Benedicte was taken home on Wednesday by her father and aunt.

The six weeks old baby who was born on 31 October 2018 and was cared for at the Ebola Treatment Center in Beni, the city hardest hit by the outbreak in DR Congo, is the youngest patient for whom doctors and volunteers there have cared. The little girl has become known as the “miracle of Beni”.

Ebola is a deadly infection that causes severe fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and internal and external bleeding. About half of those infected die, but babies are even less likely to survive. 

During this outbreak, there have been 27 cases of Ebola in children yet to reach their first birthday and 21 have died.